Easy A
by sushihearts
Summary: It's impossible for Igarashi Hitomi to get a grade less than a 95, let alone fail at anything academic. Kirihara Akaya knows this because he aces every test he has copied off her - so when Kirihara's on the verge of failing English, he knows the perfect sucker to trick into doing his project for him. KiriharaOC


Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Easy A<strong>  
>By sushihearts<p>

Kirihara Akaya has better things to do.

He can be playing tennis. He can be at the arcade, like he is, every day after tennis practice. He can be running the laps Sanada will assign him because he's late. There are billions of things Kirihara will rather do than listen to Nakamura-sensei yap about his score, bloody zero and all. Which isn't even anything new, geez.

Kirihara yanks the paper from Nakamura's hand and shoves it into his pocket. Kirihara stands up, clearly ready to leave, when Nakamura grabs his wrist.

"Not so fast, Kirihara," Nakamura says. Kirihara tries to jerk the man's hand off his wrist, ignoring him. "You do realize you're on the verge of failing my class, don't you?"

To be honest, Kirihara cannot care less. Kirihara has more things to worry about, like tennis, his life... what it will become of now that Kirihara has missed - his eyes dart to the wall clock - ten minutes of practice. Kirihara has enrolled in Rikkai to be the number one tennis player of Japan's number one school, not to study English at one of Japan's top academic institutions. Shouldn't Nakamura know his priorities?

"I think you should know yours," Nakamura says. Kirihara looks away. "Look, sensei, I'm sorry," Kirihara says. "But I have to go." Kirihara means it. He's late. He squirms out of Nakamura's grip and reaches for his tennis bag.

"You're going to be dropped from the regulars if you fail," Nakamura says.

Kirihara freezes, before he laughs and continues walking out of the room, when he stops. He turns around in time to catch something. It's the Rikkai Student Handbook.

"Read. Article III, Section 4."

Nakamura should be done with his business, because Kirihara is done with his. Nevertheless, Kirihara scours the handbook for the passage, if only to humor his teacher. Reading is the least Kirihara can do.

"Article III, Section 4: Any student that fails to maintain a passing mark in any major subject is excluded from extracurricular activities until the student academic department head confirms that the student has met Rikkai's academic requirements... Eh?"

"I understand that you are now a regular of the tennis team," Nakamura says. "However, even regulars have to maintain a certain grade in order to participate in club activities..."

Crap. _Crap_.

He's going to be dropped from the regulars.

This is worse than being late for practice, worse than falling asleep in a bus and missing a practice match against some no-name school and "causing a disturbance" in Seigaku instead (Although he will never admit it, Kirihara is pretty damn proud of causing so much trouble for Tezuka-san in so little time. The bruise he had to sport for the next couple of days - thanks, fukubuchou - is still worth it.).

Being dropped from the regulars means no more Kanagawa Prefectural, no more Kanto Tournament. Being dropped from the regulars means Kirihara can kiss his dreams of the Nationals goodbye. He winces. The prospect of no Nationals terrifies Kirihara more than the bruise he's sure he'll be in for later.

"...There's no possible way for you to raise scores of the tests you have failed, nor is there a way for you to pass assignments you have failed to submit," Nakamura says. "The only way you can pass is to get at least a 90 on the group project I will give you."

Kirihara has to work hard on that project, then.

... Hah. He, Kirihara Akaya, work hard on a project? On a project for the subject he hates most? Like hell. There are many things Kirihara prides himself in, such as his tennis, devilish good looks and magnetic personality, but even Kirihara knows when he's fighting a losing battle.

Kirihara runs a hand through his hair and scratches the base of his neck. "Sensei," Kirihara says. He smiles, widening his eyes just a bit. "I need to pass this class."

"I would... do anything to pass your class. I would do anything for _you_."

Nakamura's eyes widen like a tennis ball was a hair away from hitting his face, before the man's lips curve into something between a grimace and a smile. Kirihara is not sure if this - whatever this is - is working, but it has to. Whenever Yukimura does this... thing, Sanada always turns into putty, ready for Yukimura to knead, crush as he wills. _Akaya_, Yukimura had said, on one of the team's visits to the hospital, _use this technique only at times of need. Never lose. Always win, RikkaiDai_.

Kirihara doesn't realize he's shaking until Nakamura sets his hand on Kirihara's shoulders and he stiffens. Is... this supposed to happen? _Buchou_ never said anything...

"Really, Kirihara? You would do anything to pass?"

Kirihara nods, though he's not sure what's going on.

"Then, you can start by doing me a little favor," Nakamura says. Suddenly, his hand is gone. He steps back. Kirihara holds his breath, waiting. Only for Nakamura to laugh at him. Kirihara is sure he looks as confused as he feels. It takes one look at Kirihara to make Nakamura laugh harder. He's clutching his stomach. Kirihara wonders if his teacher will still be doubling over in laughter if Kirihara kicks his stomach.

"Work hard on that project," Nakamura says, nonplussed.

Kirihara exhales sharply. He fathers his bags and what's left of his dignity and marches out, but not before he hears something like, "God, is this what your teammates have been teaching you?"

Kirihara stills, his hand on the clubroom's doorknob. He hasn't run into his teammates on his way to the courts. What will they say when they find out that he might be kicked off the team? Kirihara half-considers ditching today's practice, but for what has he trudged all the way from his classroom in the second floor to the courts at the opposite side of the school? He's already at the courts. Besides, it's not like his teammates will know if Kirihara doesn't tell them. The worst that can happen is for Sanada to slap him and assign him laps for tardiness.

Kirihara opens the door.

Marui and Jackal, already in their school uniforms, are by the lockers. Marui tells Jackal about a dinner buffet. Of course, Jackal's paying. Jackal pales, until Marui pulls out a couple of coupons from his pocket. _Just kidding_. Marui smiles. A few feet from the pair is Niou in his boxers. He tries to slap Yagyuu with a wet towel. Yagyuu's lip curls into something in between a smile and a frown. _Do hasten, Niou-kun_. Yagyuu's already in his uniform. Renji and Sanada, still in their towels, are sitting on the benches. Renji is proposing a new training menu for the upcoming matches. Sanada's arms are crossed. _Modifications wouldn't be necessary if that lazyass didn't fuck up the team's line-up_. Renji elbows Sanada's bare arm. Sanada glowers.

Kirihara exhales in relief, completely missing what Sanada said about the hole in the team's roster. He grins. "Hey, guys, you'd never believe how much Nakamura-sensei can yap. I swear, my ear was about to fall off," he says.

Except no one seems to notice him. Kirihara tries again, "Sorry, I was late."

Kirihara looks at his teammates expectantly. No one says anything. No one is even looking at him. Kirihara coughs. Slowly, his eyes widen. They're ignoring him. Kirihara's lower lip trembles. He bites it. He looks at the floor. His face is burning. He blinks - once, twice - and everything is blurry. Before Kirihara knows it, Marui's all over him. "H-hey, you're not supposed to cry, you brat!"

Huh?

Kirihara touches his eyes. His fingers are wet. He hasn't noticed at all.

"Kirihara-kun, I want you to reflect on your actions..." Yagyuu says. Kirihara tries to think about every bad thing he's done that has gone unpunished. There are a lot.

"Our goal right now is to win the Nationals," Marui says. "But if you're going to get kicked off the team..." He pops a bubble. "You should have told us that you were having a hard time in English! There are always people who can help you!" He points to the boy next to him. "Like Jackal!"

"Why me?" Jackal asks. Marui pinches him. Yagyuu shoots him a look. Niou nods at him in approval. Sanada raises his hand. Renji pulls Sanada's hand down. Jackal winces. "I mean, why didn't you tell me? You know English is my best subject..."

"Shame," Niou drawls. "It's buchou's favorite subject, too."

Buchou.

Oh god, buchou.

Kirihara's eyes dart to Sanada. Their gazes meet. Sanada draws his hand back, about to strike. Kirihara closes his eyes, bracing himself for the blow - except nothing comes. Kirihara cracks an eye open. Renji's holding Sanada's forearm. "Remember, Genichiro, temper's the only thing you can't get rid of by losing it," Renji chides. Sanada takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He's counting under his breath.

Kirihara shoots a grateful look at Renji, who turns away.

Kirihara nods.

"You need to get at least a 90 on your English project to maintain your spot on the team."

Nod.

"As such, you are temporarily removed from tennis club activities, until the due date of your project. If you fail to get at least a 90, you will be permanently removed from the team."

Nod.

Then,

"Huh? B-but you can't do that! No one can replace me! I'm the second year ace! You guys know no one's good enough! With me gone, the team will be one man short... And who else is going to take buchou's singles one spot?"

"It was Yukimura's decision," Sanada says. "Urayama the freshman has potential. He will more than suffice in taking your position in the team. As for the singles one spot... When hell freezes over."

"Urayama, he's the one that played Kakinoki's captain that time, right?" Niou asks.

"Indeed, Niou-kun. 'That time' being when someone, whose identity I shall not disclose," Yagyuu looks at Kirihara, "dozed off in the bus and caused quite a disturbance in Seishun Gakuen."

Why are they still holding that against him? They should be thankful Kirihara has decided to spare Tezuka so that their upcoming match with Seigaku - considering Seigaku even makes it to the Prefecturals - might actually be entertaining. And why is Yagyuu-senpai being mean? It's probably because he spends too much time with Niou.

"Ah, Urayama," Jackal says, "he's a very promising player. He's also very independent and mature, which is more than I can say for some people."

"Even buchou says so," Marui says, "ahh, Urayma-kun just bought be soft-serve ice cream just last week! My favorite kouhai..."

Kirihara's jaw drops. Urayama? Who is this Urayama? Kirihara's going to crush that overrated punk. Kirihara grits his teeth. He balls his fist. Then someone is ruffling his hair. It's Marui. Kirihara crosses his arms and frowns. He jerks away from his teammate, but Marui's fingers get tangled in Kirihara's hair. Marui yanks his hand out, pulling some of Kirihara's hair with it. Kirihara screams.

"BUFFET DINNER!" Marui screams just as loud. He pumps his fist in victory, only to realize he's still clutching Kirihara's hair. Marui shakes his fingers. Kirihara watches, horrified, as his hair falls to the floor. He's too busy staring at his hair to nnotice that Marui has pulled out seven buffet coupons, until one is shoved in front of his face.

Kirihara's eyes light up. He reaches out to grab the stub, only for Renji to pull the voucher from Kirihara's hand. Renji places the voucher inside Marui's breast pocket. He turns to Kirihara. "Temporarily removed from tennis club activities," he says.

_Oh my god_, Marui mouths. Niou sniggers. Yagyuu covers his mouth. Sanada tugs his cap down, but Kirihara can see his smirk. Jackal is biting his lip in a futile attempt to keep himself from laughing.

Kirihara storms out of the clubroom. He pretends he doesn't hear Marui's annoying voice saying, "Guys, you think Urayama-kun's still free? We have one coupon left."

_Traitors_, Kirihara thinks.

* * *

><p>The environment within the class is as per usual: meaning, no one is taking Nakamura the English teacher seriously. Some girl in front is painting her nails, while the boy beside her is unabashedly picking his nose. Someone is texting at one side of the room, while another is eating a convenience store sandwich at the other. At the back of the room sits Kirihara, his face planted flat on his desk as a thick string of drool connects his mouth to the mahogany. If one listens through Kirihara's snoring, that person might hear a faint sound of Nakamura's attempts at commanding the class.<p>

"A PROJECT," Nakamura screams. He slams his hands on the teacher's table for effect.

The noise simmers down until only Kirihara's snoring is the only sound in the room. Nakamura looks at the class representative as though to say, please do your job. Igarashi next to Kirihara nods and pinches his arm. Her nails dig into his flesh, leaving a pair of pale crimson dents in its wake. Kirihara's eyes snap open. He shoots Igarashi a nasty look. She sniffs and looks at the blackboard.

"As I was saying," Nakamura says, to which someone mutters, "We heard you the first-" "AS I WAS SAYING ANYWAY," Nakamura looks at the student. The student sinks into his seat and avoids the teacher's gaze. "This is a special project, because it's worth 15% of your grade."

Several students groan. A project, so early in the school year? Is Nakamura-sensei for real? Hands bolt up and voices raise in objection, but Nakamura goes on:

"...Which is the miracle some of you need to pass my class," she says. At that, a good number of students draw their hands and shut their mouths. "But! This is not just a project worth 15% your grade, this is also a group project. And because of my generosity, I am giving the class an opportunity to choose their own partners."

"Students who fail to pass a paper with their partner's name by the end of the day will have their partners chosen by me. You have the rest of the period to discuss the project. That is all." Nakamura calls Igarashi and says something to her before he leaves the room. Not a minute after Nakamura's exit, the class atmosphere resumes to its usual: thoroughly loud and shamelessly unproductive. Kirihara looks around. None of his classmates' conversations are worth listening to, let alone worth joining. He's about to bury his head in between his arms when-

"Hey, who do you want to be your partner for the project?"

"Someone smart, obviously... Maybe the class rep? She has the highest grades in the batch, doesn't she?" Kirihara glances at his seatmate. Igarashi is covering her mouth, but Kirihara can tell she's smiling. She must feel so good about herself. She's leaning forward, as though the two boys' voices aren't loud enough. Kirihara rolls his eyes.

"Of course, she does! She's a total nerd!"

"I bet she'd do all the work because she doesn't want people like us to mess up her perfect record. What a control freak."

"Still, the odds are in our favor, aren't they?"

"You got that right, an easy A!"

Kirihara looks at his seatmate again. The said girl's eyes are comically wide. Her mouth hangs open, until she takes a deep breath. She bites her lip. It's almost pout. She looks like she's about to cry. Kirihara snickers. She glares at him. He grins.

"Anyway, I know who I don't want my partner to be..."

"Let me guess! Kirihara Akaya?"

Kirihara does not have to look at his seatmate to know that if she doesn't wipe that smug smile off her face, he's going to wipe it off for her. And what the hell, don't those two know that Kirihara's just behind them? They should shut up. Shut up. Shut up!

"I feel bad for whoever's going to be his partner. Boy can't even understand basic English."

Kirihara holds his breath.

"Heh, I heard Nakamura gave the project just so he can pass and keep his spot on the regulars."

His face is on fire. His fingers tingle. He's burning. He feels like he's going to combust. Or explode. He clenches his fist. His eyes flit around the room. Has anyone heard? His eyes meet his seatmate's. She shoots him a look. _Don't_. Hell if Kirihara's listening to her! Who does she think she is to boss him around?

Kirihara makes a face. He stands up. He stretches his arms upwards, slowly, and brings his hands down on top of the two boys' heads. The two nearly jump in shock. Kirihara pushes their heads down just a centimeter from their desks. Kirihara turns to his seatmate and raises his eyebrow in an attempt to egg her on. _Ha_.

He expects her to flash him another annoying look. He expects her to threaten to report him to the teacher. He doesn't expect her to smile at him in approval. Kirihara scrunches his nose, and then - right, those two had insulted her, too. Great.

Before Kirihara can snap at her, she stands up, throwing him off guard. She tosses her obnoxiously long hair over her shoulders and walks to the front of the class - or rather, what is left of it - and says, "Lunch time!"

_An easy A_, he thinks.

He writes his name and hers on a sheet of paper.

* * *

><p>Igarashi Hitomi hates lines. Besides her feet burning from standing on her toes, nothing hurts more than her bruised ego because she still can't see anything through the ridiculously tall people in front of her. She considers stepping out of the line to get a view of today's lunch menu, but decides against it. She's not losing her spot to the person behind her. Who is pressing up too close against her. <em>Like doing that will get you your food faster<em>, Igarashi thinks.

Igarashi twitches. She can practically feel the person breathing over her head. "Achoo," she says, hoping the person behind her can take a hint. Except the person only inches closer. Igarashi closes her eyes and takes a deep, shuddered breath. She turns around, ready to say something like, "I'm sorry, but can you please move back? I don't want you to catch my cold." It's the most polite thing she can think of at the moment. She opens her mouth-

Only for the words to die before they leave it because when Igarashi looks up, she comes face to face with Kirihara Akaya. Of course, it makes sense for Kirihara to have no sense of personal space. God, Igarashi hates him. But... she can't stop looking at him. He's too close. If she tries, she can probably count his eyelashes. Or the shades of green in his eyes. Before Igarashi can say something, the lunch lady saves her the trouble.

"Next!"

Or not.

Igarashi steps back, tripping over her feet. She closes her eyes, bracing herself for the fall, but someone grabs her by the shoulder. She cracks an eye pen. Kirihara! She closes the eye again. Of all people, why him?

"Easy," Kirihara says. His hands are still on Igarashi's shoulders. She wants to move away, but everything is still shaking. Igarashi could have gotten a bruise. She could have gotten a concussion. She could have broken a bone. She could have cracked her skull and died on the floor of the school cafeteria.

But Kirihara caught her.

This is the same Kirihara who takes up her free time because teachers think that just because Igarashi's he class representative, she has no other mission in life than to deliver Kirihara's take-home worksheets because he forgets to take them home (which completely defeats the purpose of take-home worksheets, which should be taken home!), only for Kirihara to not pass the said worksheets when they are due. This is the same Kirihara who yawned during her middle school entrance ceremony speech and called it boring (in front of the whole Rikkai student body!). This is the same Kirihara who, just less than an hour ago, laughed at her when a couple of her classmates called her a nerd and a control freak (which she is not!).

This is the Kirihara who might as well have saved her life.

Igarashi doesn't know what to feel. She knows Kirihara well enough to know that he's trouble. He's caused trouble for her since the first day they met. He's insensitive. He doesn't care about anyone else except himself. He probably doesn't hate her - or even care about her - and just terrorizes her for his own amusement. That's how bad Kirihara is.

But... Kirihara saved her. Has Igarashi been wrong about him all this time? Is Kirihara actually a good person?

Igarashi doesn't know whether she should laugh or cry or just think him, so she settles for staring at him.

"I know I'm good looking, but it's rude to stare," he says, "Miss. Class. Rep."

Igarashi's jaw drops. This has to be a joke. Why is Kirihara making a joke? Are they suddenly friends now? But Kirihara doesn't look like he's joking. Kirihara blinks, like he's expecting her to say something (What, refute him? Agree? As if.). Igarashi doesn't know whether she should be relieved that she and Kirihara are not friends or feel sorry for Kirihara who is apparently blind. Igarashi tries to say something, except nothing comes out of her mouth. So it just hangs open. She blinks at him in disbelief.

"Usually, normal people would say 'thank you,'" Kirihara says, sounding annoyed.

Now that's the Kirihara Igarashi knows.

"Get your hands off me," she hisses, all feelings of uneasiness gone. Things are normal - or as normal as possible when Kirihara is involved. Igarashi think she might go crazy if Kirihara actually starts being... nice. She shudders.

Kirihara looks taken aback, before his mouth morphs into a smirk. "Have it your way," he snarls. Instead of letting Igarashi go like she expected, Kirihara shoves her to the floor. "Klutz," he says, cackling. Igarashi doesn't have to look behind her. She can feel everyone's gaze burning at her back. The room suddenly feels bigger than it really is. The laughter is deafening. Igarashi blinks rapidly. Her eyes feel hot.

Is it possible for a black hole to emerge from the ground and swallow her now? This is embarrassing. And not funny. Igarashi wants to go home. She racks her brain for an excuse. Maybe she can fake sick.

She feels someone's eyes on her, more heated than the looks her schoolmates gave her. She looks up. Kirihara's smirking down at her - and he's bending his upper body down, too. That jerk. Igarashi is livid. Forget about making excuses to go home early, Igarashi's staying. She glares at him, hard. She doesn't blink until Kirihara's forced to look away, rolling his eyes. Igarashi dusts the dirt off her uniform and stands straight, making sure to elbow Kirihara in the process. She crosses her arms and waits for her turn.

When it's Igarashi's turn, the lunch lady grins at her. She definitely saw what happened a while ago. The woman's mouth is open, like she's about to say something. Igarashi forces a tight smile. The woman ends up not saying anything. The only plates left are a plate of fried chicken and a plate of steamed vegetables. Igarashi takes the fried chicken. At least Kirihara will be stuck with the vegetables.

"Akaya, you're handsome as usual! Wait here while I get you a new batch of fried chicken and steamed vegetables!"

Igarashi stops on her tracks, gaping. She watches the woman give Kirihara something worth more than his and her money combined. Igarashi can smell Kirihara's lunch. There's even steam coming off it. She looks down at her plate of fried chicken, so stale and cold compared to Kirihara's, and frowns.

"Thanks, obaa-chan," Kirihara says cheerfully. He turns to Igarashi who hasn't moved from her spot. He looks at her plate of cold fried chicken then at her face. He raises an eyebrow. "Care to move?" he says. "You're in the way."

Igarashi looks away, pretending not to hear Kirihara, just to annoy him. She looks around the cafeteria. Even though no one's looking at her now, she doesn't feel like eating there anymore - or even eating, actually. "I said, move-" Igarashi doesn't need to be told twice. She walks back to the serving lady and asks for a box to put her food in, leaving Kirihara to talk to thin air.

Igarashi's going to the classroom. She might as well study. And assign more class duties to Kirihara. But that will mean spending more time with him. Yuck.

Or she can go to the infirmary and ice her ass. She reaches back to feel it. She flinches. Yeah, she needs to ice that. She rolls her shoulders back and makes sure to keep her back straight as she walks out of the cafeteria. Only when she's sure that Kirihara can't see her does she allow herself to limp in the hallways.

When the nurse lifts Igarashi's skirt, she actually winces, but masks her grimace immediately with an upbeat smile. "Looks like you hit your coccyx pretty hard," she says evenly. "But that's fine. Just ice it for three days and keep it easy for the rest of the week. You'll be up and kicking in no time."

Coccyx. That sounds more than it hurts. Igarashi cringes. "M-my tailbone?" Igarashi asks slowly, quietly.

"Nice to know you listen to your health teacher," the nurse teases. Igarashi tenses at the confirmation. "You're going to be fine," the nurse insists.

She is not! She probably broke her tailbone! Igarashi all but jumps at the realization. She ends up hitting her head on the medicine cabinet above her. "Ow," she says, rubbing at her temple. "Guess we should ice that, too?" the nurse says in between giggles. Igarashi gives her a withering smile. Igarashi hobbles back to the classroom with her hands up her head and in her skirt, each hand holding a plastic of ice.

* * *

><p>"Eh, our Miss Class Rep has her hand up her skirt," Kirihara says loudly. Suddenly everyone's eyes are on her. While Igarashi admits that she loves attention, this is too much for one day. She wants to cover her face, except her hands are full. Her face is burning with shame, though. That's a legitimate reason to ice it, right? Someone asks her if she's okay. Igarashi smiles and says she's fine.<p>

The smile slides off her face immediately the moment Igarashi's and Kirihara's eyes meet. "Whose fault do you think this is?" she asks.

"Yours," Kirihara pipes, his voice grating on Igarashi's nerves.

Unbelievable.

Igarashi wants to scream, _Who's the one that shoved me back there at the cafeteria? If you just behaved like a decent human being, I wouldn't have my hand up my skirt, icing my sore and bruised ass. I can't believe I ever thought you could be nice. God, I hate you_. Instead, Igarashi holds her tongue. She's not giving Kirihara the satisfaction of getting her riled up.

"Besides, that doesn't even compare to a day at tennis practice."

Igarashi sucks in a breath.

"Oh, you're still on the team?" leaves her mouth before she thinks about it. Igarashi doesn't bother to fight the smile making its way on her face. Even without looking at Kirihara, Igarashi knows she's struck a nerve. When Kirihara tells her that he dares her to repeat what she's just said, she does so loudly.

"Why you-"

Kirihara, who's seated beside Igarashi, reaches out to grab her - only to lose balance. Kirihara teeters for a moment before he crashes to the floor with a hard thud, still seated on his desk. Igarashi winces. That must hurt. She sniggers. Kirihara had it coming. Igarashi rests her palm on her desk, still laughing - only to double forward. Igarashi grabs on to the wall beside her, breaking her fall. She sighs in relief.

Until someone grabs her ankle. She looks down. It's Kirihara. She screams.

It's only then that Igarashi realizes that the whole class is looking at them. Not only that, but some of their classmates are even laughing. Igarashi blinks. They were probably watching since Kirihara fell with his chair. Igarashi wants to hide. While searching for a sympathetic or at least unamused expression from their classmates, Igarashi meets the eyes of their math teacher, who looks none too pleased. Igarashi pales. How long has she been there?

"What... is. Going. On. In. Here?"

Igarashi stiffens. She takes a deep breath that both she and her teacher need. She kicks Kirihara's hand off her. She tries to ignore the stares as she bends down and pushes Kirihara off his chair, swatting his hands from her when he tries to pull on her hair. She places the chair back in place, leaving Kirihara on the floor. "Nothing," she says, forcing a smile.

The math teacher shakes her head. She adjusts her glasses. Her left eye twitches. "Igarashi-kun," she snaps.

Igarashi stands straighter than usual. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Take Kirihara-kun to the infirmary."

_Why me?_ Igarashi thinks. "Yes, ma'am," she says.

She bends down to collect Kirihara. Kirihara shuts his eyes and tries to make himself heavier, even though Igarashi knows he's conscious. She slaps different parts of Kirihara's body as hard as she can, but Kirihara uses the opportunity to grab her arms. While Igarashi is clearly the less powerful of the two, her smaller and thinner frame allows her to squirm from Kirihara's grip, elbowing away from him. "Get up," she says. "Make me," he says, smirking. Igarashi grabs Kirihara's arm in an attempt to pull him up when Kirihara stands up on his own, throwing Igarashi off balance. Her hands flail to the nearest possible thing for support - Kirihara's torso. When she realizes that her hands are on him and everyone's eyes are on them, she scrambles away. Without speaking, she and Kirihara agree to leave the classroom when the math teacher calls them out.

The two students turn to their teacher in uncanny unison.

"Please keep your hands to yourselves."

"But-"

"You may go."

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for making it this far! What do you think? Should I continue this? Please let me know through a review! I'd really appreciate your feedback and guidance. :D

"Temper's the only thing you can't get rid of by losing it." That quote is from the movie Anger Management, which I do not own. But I do think that it would be a funny thing to say to someone who's as hot-heated as Sanada, no?


End file.
